By Dylan Butler
Vic Morris knows what the skeptics will say, that the Cardozo boys’ basketball team’s 82-77 win over Lincoln in the Big Apple Invitational was a shallow victory because the Railsplitters were without Coney Island’s favorite son Sebastian Telfair.
But as Morris was quick to point out, when Lincoln beat Cardozo in the PSAL semifinals last year en route to its second straight city crown, the Judges were without Morris and Skyler Khaleel.
“They might say that,” Morris said of the aforementioned skeptics. “But last year me and Skyler didn’t play and they didn't give us any credit for that.”
It’s a mouth watering matchup that has yet to materialize.
Telfair, the highly-touted Louisville-bound cousin of Stephan Marbury, sat on the Railsplitters bench at the Gauchos Gym Sunday still nursing an ankle injury he suffered in a nationally-televised win over Edgewater from Florida in front of the likes of Derek Jeter and Jay-Z at Fordham University Dec. 11.
Neither Jeter nor Jay-Z was at the Gauchos Sunday, but there was little room for them in the packed gym off 149th Street in the Bronx. It seemed a lot of people were looking forward to seeing the two point guards square off in a game many — myself included — believe could be a preview of the city championship game.
Last March Morris was the one in street clothes, sidelined because of academic ineligibility as Lincoln cruised to a 88-61 win at Alumni Hall.
Morris vs. Telfair was just one of several intriguing head-to-head matchups I was looking forward to Sunday. There was Nick Flagg vs. Canarsie transfer Eugene Lawrence, Skyler Khaleel vs. Nyan Boatang and down low Theo Davis vs. Tone Pena, in a battle of the big men that pitted a Lincoln forward from Queens against a Cardozo forward from Canada.
But it was Morris who stole the show.
Morris has scored more points and had a better stat line, but he perhaps hasn't played a better game in a Cardozo uniform than he did against Lincoln.
He finished with a game-high 28 points and played up-tempo, but did so under control and it was the point guard the packed house was talking about when they walked out onto Gerard Avenue.
Maybe we’ll finally see the two point guards meet Jan. 11, when the two teams are scheduled to meet again in the Brooklyn Winter Classic at St. Francis College. And if not, hopefully it will be at the Garden.
Vic Morris deserves it.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
